Editor’s Note:  The AMI QT devotionals from June 20 to 26 are provided by Kate Moon who serves in E. Asia.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 9:17b-19: “[King Solomon] built up Lower Beth Horon, Baalath, and Tadmor in the desert, within his land, as well as all his store cities and the towns for his chariots and for his horses – whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 3b, 8b: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: . . . a time to tear down and a time to build . . . a time for war and a time for peace.”

With the arrival of summer come thoughts of slowing down, taking a break, having the leisure to do things we feel we usually don’t have time to do.  We start thinking about taking a trip to get away from the normal routine or perhaps picking up a hobby we’ve been meaning to try.

When Solomon became king, the people of Israel, for the first time in their long journey as a nation, had the leisure to build.  They had begun with Abraham as a nomadic people, wandering from place to place.  A famine sent them to Egypt, where they first lived as temporary visitors and later as slaves.  Moses led them out, and they wandered again for a generation before Joshua led them into their own promised land.  But it was still not yet a time for rest, for they had to fight to conquer this land, and the fighting went on through the time of the warrior king, David.  Now that they were finally settled in the land and there was peace, now that their king did not have to think all the time about fighting and defending, he could turn his attention to building.

Throughout history all over the world, when people have had their basic needs for food, shelter and security met, societies began to flourish.  Renaissances happen during times of peace.  Art, music, literature, all the “finer things in life” have room to develop – they are not “necessities” per se, but wonderfully, the way God has created us, we are wired for more than just eating and sleeping and physically existing.  Interestingly, when human beings have leisure, while it may lead to inactivity (read laziness) or even indulgence, it can also be a time for creativity, innovation and discovery.  That is, when we have the leisure, it seems we still want to be doing something meaningful that would feed and enrich our souls.

Now that summer has come and many of us have some extra time, how will we choose to build?  By making special memories with our families?  Reading books that take our long-unused imaginations out for a whirl?  Taking a special retreat with God?

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for times of peace, for times of slowing down, and for a life that is something more than just merely physically existing.  Thank you for times to build, into myself and the lives of others around me.  Help me to spend this precious time wisely and well.

Bible Reading for Today: Revelation 12

Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Chronicles 22:7-10: David said to Solomon: “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the Lord my God. 8 But this word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. 9 But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. 10 He is the one who will build a house for my Name.  He will be my son, and I will be his father.  And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’”

Questions to Consider

1. Why was David not to build God’s house (v. 8)?
2. Why would Solomon be able to build it (vv. 8-9)?
3. In what ways is Jesus like both David and Solomon? What does this mean to us?

Notes

1. Because he was the one who shed much blood.
2. Because of the peace that God would grant him during his reign, but also in part because of the battles his father had already fought and won to set the stage for this peace. In short, it was God’s grace that Solomon was chosen for this privilege without having done anything to merit it.
3. When Jesus died on the cross, he fought the battle, shedding blood on our behalf, so that we could have peace. When he rose again, he became the prince of peace under whose reign we live, and because of this peace we now have, together with him, we can build God’s house.

 Evening Reflection

Did I experience the peace of God today?  Have I made time for resting and building in my life?

Editor’s Note:  The AMI QT devotionals from June 20 to 26 are provided by Kate Moon who serves in E. Asia.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 9:3, 6-7a:  “I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever.  My eyes and my heart will always be there. . . . But if you or your sons turn away from me . . . and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name.”

Have you ever had the experience of having to reject someone you loved?  A friend of mine was once in a relationship with someone she loved very much.  They were together for several years and planning to get married when he became mentally ill.  It was a kind of paranoia where he was fine with most people but only became extremely suspicious of those who were closest to him, which meant it affected my friend the most.  He began to think that she was a spy working for North Korea; things got worse from there, and in the end, she very painfully had to break off her relationship with him, though she still cared for him very much.

Reading about God saying that he would need to reject His people if they turned away from Him, some can misunderstand Him as being fickle or intolerant, while others see it as being a part of the “other side” of God, the “just” (i.e., vs. “loving”) nature of God that we need to accept in order to have a healthy fear of Him and the consequences of our sin.  Though the latter is not untrue, our God is not like a two-faced Janus, “just” sometimes and “loving” at others; rather, He is both at the same time.

In verse 3, before He says anything about what Solomon would need to do, God makes a statement of commitment and unilateral promise to associate His Name with the temple forever, saying, “My eyes and my heart will always be there.”  This would stay true independent of the choices Solomon would make.  So when God later talks about how He would need to reject the temple and His very own people if they rejected Him, we need to remember that when it happened, it would have been a very personal and painful thing for God to do.  Because even as He has to reject them, His Name, eyes, and heart are still there with them.

Remember that today, especially if something should happen that may lead to questioning God’s goodness.

Prayer

Lord, you know what it feels like to have to break a relationship with someone you love.  Comfort those who may be going through this very experience today.  In Jesus’ name we pray.

Bible Reading for Today: Revelation 11

Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Kings 9:8-9: “And though this temple is now imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 9 “People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD their God . . . that is why the LORD brought all this disaster on them.”

Isaiah 52:14, 53:4-5: “Just as there were many who were appalled at him — his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness . . . . 4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

Questions to Consider

1. What parallels are there in these two passages between what Israel would go through under God’s judgment (1 Kings 9:8-9) and what God’s servant would go through (Isaiah 52, 53)?
2. What is the difference between Israel and God’s servant (1 Kings 9:9, Isaiah 53:4-5)?
3. How does a study of these two passages give us new insight into what it means that God rejected the temple that bore His own Name (1 Kings 9:7a)? What new appreciation of God’s love do we have?

Notes

1. People would be appalled, seeing their destroyed condition; people would attribute their appalling condition to their being punished by God.
2. Israel was being punished for her own sin; God’s servant would bear the punishment on behalf of others’ sin but be misunderstood as if he himself were deserving of the chastisement.
3. God’s servant and very Son, Jesus, was the ultimate temple that bore God’s name forever. Jesus took on the rejection that God’s people deserved to reconcile us to God.  To save us, God had to reject and break His relationship with someone He loved very much, His very Son.

 Evening Reflection

As we think about how painful broken relationships can be, let it give us a new appreciation of the pain God feels over His broken relationships with us.  Let our love for God and desire not to grieve His heart move us to stay right with Him.

Editor’s Note:  The AMI QT devotionals from June 20 to 26 are provided by Kate Moon who serves in E. Asia.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 King 8:65-66:  “So Solomon observed the festival at that time, and all Israel with him – a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt. They celebrated it before the LORD our God for seven days and seven days more . . . . They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good things the LORD had done for his servant David and his people Israel.”

I used to think that the academic calendar did not matter to most people once they started working full-time because they no longer had the long summer breaks; and the beginning and ending of each year probably went from September through June to something closer to the actual calendar year. But then I realized that when people get married and start having children, they are back on that same timetable all over again.

It’s a pleasant rhythm of life, all the more significant to me because I’ve never really left it, working in a school setting for most of my adult life. And June’s special place in that calendar is being a month of celebration: celebrating the end of a school year, sometimes the end of one’s high school or college years; welcoming in the summer vacation; having a time of rest.

Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: . . . a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance . . .” And when the hard work has been put in and a project finished or a season of life brought to a close, it is good and right to celebrate, to look back upon all the good things God has done, and to be joyful and glad in heart about those things.

In our passage today we see some elements of a great celebration: 1) being able to share the moment with others who understand its significance because they have gone through the hard times together and come out together on the other side; 2) being able to acknowledge God’s hand in all the goodness, that it’s because the God of the universe was for us that we were able to enjoy all that we’ve received.

Has it been a while since we’ve been joyful and glad in heart about something? Let’s take a moment today to think back on all His goodness and let a spirit of celebration fill our hearts.

Prayer

Lord, as I go through life, sometimes I tend to remember the failures more than the successes, the defeats more than the victories. But today, I want to remember Your goodness and celebrate the good things You have done. Would You fill my heart with joy this day? Thank you.

Bible Reading for Today: Revelation 10

Lunch Break Study

Read Ecclesiastes 2:17-25: “So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me.   All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. . . . 23 All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless. 24 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?” 

Questions to Consider

1. How did the writer of Ecclesiastes feel about his work and life (vv. 17, 23)?
2. What realization did he come to? What was the solution to his predicament (vv. 24-25)?
3. How is my work satisfaction these days? If I am not enjoying work or feeling satisfied with the fruits of my labor, what can I do?

Notes

1. That it was meaningless; there seemed to be no point to his labor.
2. That finding joy and satisfaction in work comes from God. To seek the Giver of this gift; to seek to be connected to God while one is working, for “without him” (v. 25), joy cannot be found.
3. See #2 above.

 Evening Reflection

God’s will is for us to rejoice always. Was the joy in my heart sustained throughout the day as I remembered His goodness and stayed connected to Him? If anything happened today to rob me of this joy, at this time, let me bring it before the Lord and ask Him to fill me once again.

Editor’s Note:  The AMI QT devotionals from June 20 to 26 are provided by Kate Moon who serves in E. Asia.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 King 8:30:  “Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place.  Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.”

The occasion is the celebration of the completion of the temple.  The king offers a prayer of dedication, asking God to hear the prayers to be offered in this place.  What would the contents of these prayers be?  Most of us would assume them to be for some kind of help or blessing, in which case the king’s prayer should have gone something like: “Hear from heaven . . . and when you hear, deliver us,” or, “and when you hear, bless our land.”  But King Solomon’s prayer, “and when you hear, forgive,” assumes that the prayers offered at or toward this temple would be pleas for forgiveness.  Though he does go on to pray for deliverance and blessing, he does so asking God for his mercies in the context of his people turning back to Him (vv. 34-40).  On an occasion meant for joyful celebration, why does he choose to focus on forgiveness, bringing up the inevitability of the people sinning against God (v. 46)?

It has been said that the greatest need of mankind is for forgiveness.  That whatever our felt needs are (i.e., security, love, purpose), in reality, the most pressing problem that a human being needs to solve is his or her need for forgiveness from their Father God.  Simon Wiesenthal, a Jewish holocaust survivor who later became a Nazi hunter, told a story of a dying Nazi guard who, for his atrocities against the Jews, desperately pleaded for forgiveness from him; Wiesenthal walked away.  But this universal need for forgiveness was why Jesus Christ came to the world.  Perhaps Solomon, in his God-given gift of wisdom, understood this; and that is why he made a plea for future forgiveness the cornerstone of his first prayer offered at the temple.  Possibly, the king brought up the people’s sin and need for forgiveness on an otherwise celebratory occasion because he “kn[e]w that nothing good lives in [us], that is, in [our] sinful nature” (Rom. 7:18).

Ask yourself these questions: What is the usual content of my prayer?  Do I tend to avoid the unpleasant topic of sin as I focus on “my needs?”  Do I realize that my greatest need is to be in a right relationship with my Father?

Prayer

Father, I want to be in right relationship with You.  Examine my heart and help me to see in what areas of my life I need to sincerely repent and turn back to You.  May a desire to be right with you be the cornerstone of my prayer today – and when you hear, forgive me.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Revelation 9

Lunch Break Study

Read Psalm 103:1-5, 8-12, 20-22

1 Praise the Lord, my soul;

    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2 Praise the Lord, my soul,

    and forget not all his benefits—

3 who forgives all your sins

    and heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit

    and crowns you with love and compassion,

5 who satisfies your desires with good things

    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

    slow to anger, abounding in love.

9 He will not always accuse,

    nor will he harbor his anger forever;

10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve

    or repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

    so great is his love for those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,

    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

20 Praise the Lord, you his angels,

    you mighty ones who do his bidding,

    who obey his word.

21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,

    you his servants who do his will.

22 Praise the Lord, all his works

    everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Questions to Consider

1. What is it like to experience God’s forgiveness (vv.1-5)?
2. What is God’s attitude towards those who fear Him when they sin (vv. 8-12)?
3. What is the resulting state of our hearts once we have received the forgiveness of God (vv. 20-22)? What encouragement do we have today to approach God and deal with our sin?

Notes

1. We receive healing; He extricates us from the mess we’ve created in our own lives because of our sins; He grants us the things that truly satisfy us; we are restored.
2. Sin angers Him, but He is gracious and so willing to forgive and remove our sins from us.
3. Our hearts are filled with praise.  How great the gift of forgiveness is!  If these are the benefits, then why delay dealing with sin?  Why not confess and repent right away?

 Evening Reflection

What is the state of my heart?  Is it filled with praise because I have experienced his forgiveness?  Is it at peace because I am right with God?  If not yet, then continue to seek the Lord, being confident that He will hear, and when He hears, He forgives.

Editor’s Note:  The AMI QT devotionals from June 20 to 26 are provided by Kate Moon who serves in E. Asia.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 King 8:6, 9:  “The priests then brought the ark of the LORD’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim . . . There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.”

As the wedding season has come upon us, some of us can find ourselves attending several ceremonies, and though each one will bear the unique mark of that particular couple, it is actually the elements that all weddings have in common that seem to make them special: the moment the father presents the bride to the groom, the making of vows, the declaration before friends and family.  The celebration of a covenant.  One classic element is the exchanging of rings, a visible symbol of the covenant made between man and wife.  Their circular shape, the line without beginning or end, represents the unending devotion of the couple to one another, for a lifetime.

When God made a covenant with his people, the Israelites, he, too, gave them a visible symbol of what their relationship to one another was to be.  What was the symbol, and what did it represent?  Today’s passage records what happened when Solomon finished the temple and ushered in the presence of God by having the ark of his covenant brought into the inner sanctuary.  When describing this moment, the author thought it important to remind us that “there was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets” (9).  The ark represented the promise of God’s presence with his people, and at the heart of it was his Word.  That the two stone tablets were the only thing inside the ark speaks to how important it was to God that his people keep his Word close to their hearts and honor his commands.

As Christians living under the covenant of grace, we can sometimes not honor God’s Words as much as we should.  Our reasons may vary—too hard, too costly or too invasive—but the outcome is the same: we dishonor the God whom we say we love.  Thus, God reminded the Israelites who often dishonored him by heeding the empty promises of territorial gods, “Those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed” (1 Sam. 2:30).

I have a challenge for you today.  Take your Bible to work or school, and then read a chapter (perhaps during lunch break) whether or not people are looking; then do what it says.  Read God’s word and uphold his truth with a life of faith and integrity.

Prayer

Dear Lord, I am yours and you are mine.  I belong to you, bought at such a price.  Yet living in your grace, sometimes I forget how important it is to you that I make every effort to honor your commands.  Would you forgive me, Lord?  And let your word be precious to me once again.

Bible Reading for Today: Revelation 8

Lunch Break Study

Read Exodus 32:19, 34:1: “When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain . . . . The LORD said to Moses, ‘Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.’”

Questions to Consider

1. What happened to the first copy of the Ten Commandments Moses received from the Lord? Which means which set of stone tablets was actually in the ark?
2. When they thought of the stone tablets in the ark, what did God want his people to remember?
3. What do you think is the significance of the fact that the second set was just like the first?  What do we need to keep in mind about God’s nature today?

Notes

1. Moses destroyed them when he saw the people worshipping an idol instead of the One who had really delivered them. In the ark was the second set that God gave Moses, after he forgave the Israelites their sin.
2. That they had sinned, that from the beginning, he knew they would need his forgiveness, but also that he was a God who would give them a second chance.
3. To show his nature, that though he is a God who forgives and gives second chances, his righteous standards do not change. Not only his merciful grace but also his unchanging standards of righteousness.

 Evening Reflection

How was my attitude towards sin today?  Was it casual, or did I have a sincere heart before God to obey his commands?  Not out of performance-orientation but out of love, honor and respect for him and the relationship I have with him?

Editor’s Note:  The AMI Devotionals from June 15-21 are provided by Doug Tritton of Symphony Church, Boston.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 7:48-51: So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of the Lord: the golden altar, the golden table for the bread of the Presence, the lampstands of pure gold, five on the south side and five on the north, before the inner sanctuary; the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold; the cups, snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and fire pans, of pure gold; and the sockets of gold, for the doors of the innermost part of the house, the Most Holy Place, and for the doors of the nave of the temple. Thus all the work that King Solomon did on the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and the vessels, and stored them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.

Look at all that gold—the gold altar, golden table, gold lampstands, etc. So much gold was used in the furnishings for the building. Right now, gold trades for about $1200 per ounce, and certainly these furnishings were many, many ounces; so in all likelihood, the furnishings alone were worth perhaps up to a billion dollars in today’s currency. Yet, this was not gold being used for buying and trading, or for strengthening the Kingdom of Israel; it was used purely for the purpose of worship.

This reminds me of the story of Mary, who anointed Jesus’s feet with expensive ointment (see John 12:1-8). Mary could have sold that nard for a good sum of money. Likely, it was a precious possession of hers, to be used at a precious time. But, no, she chose to use it for Jesus, to use it in worship. She valued Jesus over the ointment; He was worth more to her than the ointment.

This challenged me because I can easily get caught up in the need for security, setting boundaries on how much I am willing to give to Jesus, whether it be my time, money, or something else. Yet if Jesus were my treasure above all else, I would gladly give up anything for Him because He would be worth more than anything else. Israel was quite extravagant in giving gold for the Temple furnishings, and Mary was quite extravagant in anointing Jesus with the ointment, but how extravagant am I willing to be for God’s Kingdom? How much am I willing to give?

Reflect today on your own extravagance. Perhaps there has been a nagging feeling in your heart, a feeling that God is calling you to lay something at His feet. Perhaps today is the day to be extravagant and bold for Him.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your extravagant love for me. You put up no boundary in coming for me, but rather gave up Your own life on the cross. I pray now against my insecurities, my doubts that hold me back from giving extravagantly to You. Help me to truly value You above all else, for You truly are that pearl of great price. May my whole life be given as worship to You.

Bible Reading for Today: Revelation 7

Editor’s Note:  The AMI Devotionals from June 15-21 are provided by Doug Tritton of Symphony Church, Boston.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 7:1; 13-14: Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished his entire house. And King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre. He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze. And he was full of wisdom, understanding, and skill for making any work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work.

Yesterday we talked about how Solomon, after finishing the construction of the Temple, began working on his own house and ended up spending more time building his house than building the Temple. However, Solomon may have finished building the temple, but he had not yet furnished it! That means the Temple sat idle for thirteen years, unused and unfurnished, until Solomon had completed construction of his personal house. We do not know the exact reasons Solomon had for delaying the furnishing of the Temple, but perhaps he just got distracted by the prospect of building a grand house for himself.

This story seems to show a lack of spiritual concentration and endurance on the part of Solomon. How true is this in my life! I have spiritual highs, from activities like retreats or mission trips, but then as time goes on, these highs wear off and I fall back into normal, self-centered living. I have made convictions but continue to be someone whose action centers on feeling and circumstance, rather than firm, unwavering beliefs and commitments. We often characterize our spiritual life as sine waves, going up and down, but is that how God wants us to live, tossed by circumstance or feeling?

I believe that our Christian life was meant to be one of constant striving, of constant endurance.  As the author of Hebrews says, “…let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Our culture is one of fads and short-lived excitement, while endurance and focus seem a thing of the past. Let’s reflect together on the life of Jesus; He knew His purpose, and He lived His whole life focused on that purpose.  He endured to the end. Let’s think through our own lives. How enduring is our faith? How focused are we on seeking the Kingdom of God? Or are we easily distracted by things around us?

Prayer: Lord, thank You that You persevered to the end for me. You took the cross, bore all the shame, and rose again so that I could have a relationship with You. You gave it all, yet somehow I so easily lose focus on You. Help me to keep my eyes fixed on You knowing that You are the highest treasure. Give me endurance to run this race with true conviction and focus until I see You face to face.

Bible Reading for Today: Revelation 5-6

Editor’s Note:  The AMI Devotionals from June 15-21 are provided by Doug Tritton of Symphony Church, Boston.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 6:37-7:1: In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid, in the month of Ziv. And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts, and according to all its specifications. He was seven years in building it. Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished his entire house.

Finally, Solomon had finished building the Temple, the house for God. It took many years, many resources, and much labor, but it was finally finished. So what does Solomon do? He immediately turns to building his own house, which he works on for thirteen years. Did you catch that contrast? The passage says, “He was seven years in building it. Solomon was building his own house thirteen years.” He spent almost twice as long building his own house!

I enjoy reading, especially fiction. One thing I started doing recently was not allowing myself to read fiction until I read a passage from the Bible. I thought to myself, I have my priorities right – first Bible, then other stuff. Yet, what often happened was I would read a quick passage and then read fiction for a much longer period of time.  But I felt like I earned it, since I read the Bible first!

This showed me what I truly valued. I valued my time reading fiction over reading the Bible. Yes, I would read the Bible, but merely so that I could get to something else right afterwards. In reality, my heart was not really into reading the Word, since my heart really was longing for the leisure time afterwards.

What do you value? What do you most look forward to each day? Is fellowship with God at the top of the list, or something else?

Prayer: Lord, thank You that You value me. You gave me life, hope, and everything that I need. Yet, often I value other things over You. Forgive me for often putting you low in my priorities and help me to reorient my values towards You. May fellowship with You always be a spring of abundant joy in my life.

Bible Reading for Today: Revelation 4

Lunch Break Study

Read Matthew 6:19-21: Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Questions to Consider

1. What does it mean to lay up treasures on earth?
2. How do we lay up treasures in heaven?
3. Where is your treasure right now?

Notes

1. The easiest answer is material things—like wealth and possessions. Yet, we can lay up treasures in anything of this world – time watching TV, time on Facebook, etc. When we value these activities over God’s kingdom, we are laying up treasures on earth.
2. We lay up heavenly treasures by putting our mind on heaven! And we do this through fellowship with God. By seeking intimacy with God, our hearts are re-oriented towards eternity, towards the Kingdom. What is amazing is that we can live a heavenly life now! We do not need to wait for heaven to know God deeply; we can know Him here and now.
3. Are you treasuring God, or treasuring the things of earth? What we value shows where we are laying up treasures. What is most valuable to you?

 Evening Reflection

Reflect on the reality that God values you. He treasures you so much that He was willing to go to the cross to rescue you. Allow that truth to bring comfort to your soul. As you reflect on the value God has given you, ask for a heart that values Him in return. Pray that your life and your priorities would reflect the value you place in your relationship with God.

Editor’s Note:  The AMI Devotionals from June 15-21 are provided by Doug Tritton of Symphony Church, Boston.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 6:11-14: Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon, “Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father. And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel.” So Solomon built the house and finished it.

When I read this passage while writing this devotional, I thought about skipping it. I thought to myself, this does not really show grace. This passage seems to imply that we need to obey God before He comes to us, that we need to earn His presence. But as I reflected on this, I realized, that is certainly not the case.

God’s grace was already at work. He was the one who rescued Israel from Egypt and brought them to the Promised Land. He protected them from invaders during the time of the Judges and gave them a king when they asked for one.  God was always giving and giving towards the people of Israel.

So by the time God asks Solomon to follow His statutes, God had already given grace upon grace to the people of Israel. What really is happening here is that God’s grace had opened up a way for His people to know Him more, through obedience. When we obey God, we know Him better because obedience opens our heart to Him more. God has already shown grace; we see that on the cross.  But in response to that grace, we obey and thus we come to know God even better. His presence becomes sweeter, and our intimacy with Him grows.

Obedience should not be seen as a chore; rather, it’s a means to know God more. God gives us grace, over and over and over again. How will you respond to that grace?

Prayer: Lord, thank You for giving grace. Who am I to deserve that grace You displayed on the cross? Yet still You died for me. May my heart yearn to know You more because of what You have done for me. May my heart be willing to obey You in response to what You have done for me. You gave it all for me; help me to now give my life to You.

Bible Reading for Today: Revelation 3

Lunch Break Study

Read 1 John 5:3-4: For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

Questions to Consider

1. How do we show our love for God?
2. Why will God’s commands not be burdensome?
3. What is the role of faith in this?

Notes

1. Love for God is shown through obedience to Him. We do not blindly follow God’s commands, but rather follow them as overflow of our love for God. When we love someone, we do anything to please that person. We can please God by following Him and obeying His commands.
2. God’s commands will not be burdensome because through Christ, we overcome the world! It is God who works in us to obey through the power of the Holy Spirit who comes to us when we are born anew. Praise God that He is the one working through us!
3. It all starts with faith! Faith is what leads to the new birth which brings the Holy Spirit who enables us to overcome the world. If we try to obey God without faith, we are deluding ourselves. Our ability to follow God is 100% dependent on the faith we have in Christ.

 Evening Reflection

Take time to repent for any ways in which you have not obeyed God. Think through things God may have asked you to do that you did not do. Pray for the faith to obey, even if it may seem costly. Pray for strength to live a life of obedience to God.

Editor’s Note:  The AMI Devotionals from June 15-21 are provided by Doug Tritton of Symphony Church, Boston.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 6:1-6: In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the house of the Lord. The house that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits long, equal to the width of the house, and ten cubits deep in front of the house. 4 And he made for the house windows with recessed frames. He also built a structure against the wall of the house, running around the walls of the house, both the nave and the inner sanctuary. And he made side chambers all around. The lowest story was five cubits broad, the middle one was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad. For around the outside of the house he made offsets on the wall in order that the supporting beams should not be inserted into the walls of the house.

When I come to these passages that detail the dimensions and specifications of a building or structure (such as the temple, tabernacle, or Noah’s ark), I often skim through them, thinking to myself that this is not important. I want to get to the stories—the commandments, the things that seem to actually matter to me.

However, God chose to include these passages in the Bible. If He did not want us to read about the exact details of these buildings, then God could have left them out. The reality is that God cares about details. Perhaps we liken God to a boss who immediately gets bored when you start talking in details. No, God cares about even the smallest of details, for Jesus says to us, “Even the hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matt. 10:30).  We were woven by God in our mother’s womb, formed perfectly according to God’s  unique specification for us, just like the temple was built uniquely to an exact specification.

What does this mean for us? This means that we can bring anything to God because He cares. He cares about every part of us, even up to the tiniest detail. God will not get bored with us and turn away, but He listens and He cares—this is who our God is. As much as God is infinitely transcendent and distinct from us, He is also infinitely immanent and near to us. He wants to get involved in every area of our lives, for we are His beloved children and He cares fully about us.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for being my Father in Heaven who formed me to be who I am according to Your perfect specification. Thank You for loving me fully, for loving every part of me. Let me never doubt the level to which You care for me, but rather believe that You care about every single area of my life. Help me to trust You with all I am and not keep You at distance. Let Your love go ever deeper in my life.

Bible Reading for Today: Revelation 2

Lunch Break Study

Read Matthew 10:29-31: Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Questions to Consider

1. What does it mean that “not one of [the sparrows] will fall to the ground apart from Your Father”?
2. Why should it comfort us that “even the hairs of your head are all numbered”?
3. Why should we not fear?

Notes

1. This passage is saying that God even sustains sparrows, and nothing can harm a sparrow apart from God’s will since He is the One who is control. Not only sparrows, but everything is under God’s control. It’s because of His control that we can trust Him.
2. We often have a desire to truly be known by others. Sometimes we have friends who may know us so well that they know even our freckles and spots. But do they know each individual hair? God knows us so well that He recognizes every hair; more than that, He knows every emotion, hurt, tear, joy in our lives. We are fully known by God. How amazing is that!
3. God is in control and cares for sparrows. But praise be to God that we are worth more than sparrows in God’s eyes! If He even cares for sparrows, of course He will care for us! We can trust Him because He is completely and utterly in control. He will provide for us and sustain us, just as He sustains the creatures of this world.

 Evening Reflection

Take time to reflect on the truth that you are fully known by God. He shaped you and formed you to be who you are. Let that truth comfort your soul, removing any fears you may have about your life and future. God is in control, worthy of all our trust. Pray for greater trust and dependence on God.